Article of luggage hardware



Oct. 14, 1952 D. LEvlNE 2,613,771

ARTICLE 0F LUGGAGE HARDWARE Filed April 29, 1949 JNVENoR. DHV/D l NW6- gaat;

A TTO'QA/EY Patented Oct 14, 1952v .ARTICLE LUGGAGE HARDWARE David Levine, New York, N. Y., assignor to Crest Lock Co., Inc.,lNeW York, N. Y., a corporation.

of New York Application April 29, 1949, serial No. 90,295

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an article f ,luggage hardware, and more particularly pertains toa post loop, this being the trade term for an assembly including a pair of posts, an escutcheon plate and a bar for securing an end of a handle to an article of luggage. The term luggage as used herein embraces ladies handbags.

Heretofore luggage .manufacturers conventionally have been supplied with post loops in which the posts, escutcheon plate and bar were separate from'one another. The manufacturer assembled the various parts of the post loop on the piece of luggage and relied on the securement of the individual posts to the luggage permanently to hold the bar in position. This type of post loop has not beeniully satisfactory since the posts could not be secured to the luggage with suf'cient rigidity to prevent tilting after use and thereby allow the bar to Work free. Furthermore, even when the bar did not become disengaged, the tilting of the posts permitted the post loop to wobble and therefore become unpleasant to use. In addition, mounting post loops of such construction on the luggage involved considerable skill and time so that the mounting constituted an appreciable factor in the cost of manufacturing the luggage.

It is an object of my invention to provide a -post loop of improved construction through Whose use all the foregoing defects are avoided.

Itis a more specific object of my invention to:

provide a post loop wherein the posts are per-` manently and rigidlysecured to the escutcheon prior to mounting on a piece of luggage so that a high degree of rigidity and permanency ci,

mounting the posts can be obtained through the use of machinery and types of attachment which could not be employed by manual assemblers n4of luggage.

It is another specific object of my invention to provide a post loop wherein the bar can be secured to the posts after mounting of the posts and vescutcheon on a piece of luggage.

" It is another specific object of my invention to provide a post loop in which the posts and escutcheon constitute a pre-fashioned unit and the posts have means in Vone piece therewith for at-j- -taching the unit to a piece of luggage. It is a further objectof my invention to provide 'a post loop which is strong and durable, is eco- 2 nomical to produce and may be used to connect a handle to an article of luggage With ease, a minimum of force and effort and a substantial saving in time and labor. v f

Other objects of my-invention willin part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in thev features of construction, combinationsy of elements, and arrangements of parts whichl will be exemplified in the apparatus hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which vis shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

Fig.` 1 is a side elevational view of a piece of luggage including post loopsconstructed'in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. v3 is a sectional view taken Substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; c

Fig. 4 is a side view in partial section of apair of posts and escutcheon plate as they appear when assembled, but before interengagement; f

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing` the parts after interengagement when they. con-y stitute a pre-fashioned unit;

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the pre-fashioned post loop unit and the associated parts of a piece ofluggage immediately prior to mounting of the unit on the luggage; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the pre-fashioned post loop unit and its associated attachment plate.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral I0 denotes a brief bag ofgenerally conventional construction except for a pair of post loops I2 which connect a handle I4 to the bag. The bag has the usual front, back, side and bottom panels suitably connected to one another, and the upper edges of front and back panels may includel'a strip I6 of metal for reinforcement purposes. This strip is covered by a layer I8 of flexible material such as leather or the like which. is suitably connected to the front or back panel.

In accordance with the present invention, each post loop I2 includes two' posts I6', I8' permanently and rigidly connected to an escutcheon plate 20 and, as thus connected,-constituting a pre-fashioned unit 22 which is adapted `to, be

mounted onLv a piece of luggage. The posts and escutcheon plate maybe made from any hard durable material, for instance metal, 'andthe posts may be made solid so that theylfareles's likelyto be deformed accidentally.- 'The escutcheon plate 20 may be fabricated from sheet metal.

Prior to assembly of the pre-fashioned unit, each post I6', I8' includes a bar-carrying portion 24 of maximum diameter, this being the portion which is located above the outer surface of the escutcheon plate. Extending away from the bottom of the bar-carrying portion is an escutcheon engaging .s'tub@portionv 26 which is of `somewhat lesser diameter whereby to provide an annular shoulder 28 connecting the two portions 24, 26. From the bottom of the stub portion 26 there extends a luggage attaching portion 3i)v which is of' lesser diameter than the stub portion 26. This attaching portion 3|) may be formed with an axial bore 32 (see Fig. 6). It may be mentioned here thatthe various portions 24, 26 and 3Q of the posts can be of any cross-sectional configuration and are shown herein as circular only by way of example.

The escutcheon plate 20 is provided with two through openings-'32 through which the escutcheon `engaging stub portionsl 26 vof the posts are designed to pass. .These openings 'negatively match the conguration of the stub portions and, desirably,1are so dimensioned that said stub portions fare snugly received therein. The openings 32"- @are countersunk, as at 34, on the under surfaceof the escutcheon plate.

In making the pre-fashioned unit` 22, the two posts I6', I8fhave their shoulders 2S seated on thefup'per surface of" the escutcheon plate with the portions 26 extending through the plate.V The portions 26 Yare longer than the'thicknessv of the escutcheon plate (see Fig. 4) so that the tips of the posts project beneath the plate. After the posts are 'thus disposed, the stub portions 25 are subjected to axial compression of sumcient force to ilow the peripherally disposed metal thereof into the countersunk portions 34 of the openings 32. Such operation can be performed in Vany conventional manner, as for example by setting the large diameter portion 2,4 of each post in a pocket of a stationary anvil with the escutcheon plate resting on the top flat surface of the anvil. A punch is`r provided having an opening which snugly accommodates the attaching portion 30. When the punch is brought down toward the anvil it will subject'to compression the rim of 'the stub portion 26 and, since the post is solid, the metal of this rportionwill flow outwardly to ll the countersunk part of the opening 32. This cold-flowed metal constitutes a second annular shoulder -35 which is abutted against the under surface of the escutcheon plate in the countersunk zone of the opening.

A pre-'fashioned unit of this construction has itsrposts attached'to the escutcheon plate very rigidly so that there is no danger of the posts tilting. It'may be mentioned that it is not necessary to flow metal from around the entire peripheral zone of the stub portion into the countersunkzone of each opening 32. Satisfactory results are obtained where such flow takes place at only a few points of each stub portion, such for example as by staking three or four points on the rperiphery of' each stub portion. However, I preferforcing the'entire peripheral zone ofthe stubportion into the countersunk zone of each opening'inasmuch as in this manner I am able to raise the bottom surfaces of the stub portions into the plane of the'under surface of the esend of this bar is fashioned with a head 42 which is slightly larger indiameter than the through opening 36. Said head has a roughened surface, for example being scored, closely splined or finely knurled around its periphery as indicated by score'lines 44. The bar is of such length that its forward end 46 will be seated against the bottom of the blocked opening 38 when the outer end of its head-42 is approximately iush With the outer side of the post in which the opening 36 is provided. The bar, save for the head 42, is dimensioned tovbe snugly fitted in the openings 36, 33. The head 42, however, is'sa forcent in. the opening v36.

Finally, the post loop. includes an attachment plate 48Y fabricated from a rigid self-form-maintaining material, such for example as sheet metal. This plate is formed with a' pair .of openings 50 spaced apart properlyand Isuitably dimensioned to `pass the luggage Vattaching'portions 36.

The'article of luggage to which the post loops are secured are, prior to mounting of vthe post loops, provided with a pair of throughapertures 52. The attaching portions 33 arethrust through the openings 52, the tips of these portions projecing sulciently far from the bottom of the escutcheon plateZI) to extend not only through the leather Vlayer I8 and'steel strip I6 but also through the attachment plate 48. These'projecting tips of. the attaching portions 30 are expanded, as for instance by staking', center punching or spinning. As a result of such operation the tips of the attaching portions haveanges 54 fashioned thereon rwhich permanently and rigidly secure the post loop to the piece of luggage.

Optionally, the layer of leatherA I8 may be folded around the metalstrip I6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to cover the attachment plate and flanges 54 and thus enhance the appearance of the bag.

After the post loops are positioned, the ends of I'thehandles I4 are pla-cedbetween the pairs of posts and the bars 40 slipped through the openings 35 and through openings 561m thehandle ends into the openings 38, the head 44 of the bar being forced into vthe opening36 as bytapping the same with a suitable instrument such' for instance as a hammer. The opening 38 is suciently deep to permit the head of the bar to be received entirely or substantially entirely within the opening 36. By locating the second shoulder 35 within the countersunk zones of the openings 32', the under surface of the escutcheonplate is leftfree 0f projections, except for the attaching portions 30 which are received in the openings 52,so that said plate can be seatedwithout diiculty on the leather layer I8.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a device whichachieves the several objects of my invention and is Well' adapted'to meet the conditions of.-v practical use. 2

As variousfpossibleembodiments may be made of the abovevinvent-ion, andas various changes might be made in the embodiment-above set forth, itis to be-understood that all matter herein deaeiavn scribed, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A pre-fashioned article of luggage hardware comprising a pair of posts, an escutcheon plate having two through openings therein, said pair of posts extending through said openings and projecting .to both sides of the escutcheon plate, each post having a shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the outer surface of the escutcheon plate, each said post having a second shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the under surface of the escutcheon plate, the upwardly projecting portions of the posts including means to engage a bar and the downwardly projecting portions of the posts including means independent of said shoulders to engage a piece of luggage.

2. A pre-fashioned article of luggage hardware comprising a pair of posts, an escutcheon plate having two through openings therein, said pair of posts extending through said openings and projecting to both sides of the escutcheon plate, each said post having a shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the outer surface of the escutcheon plate, each said post having a second shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the under surface of the escutcheon plate, the upwardly projecting portions of the posts including means to engage a bar, and the downwardly projecting portion of each post being hollow whereby the same is adapted to be expanded to engage a piece of luggage.

3. A pre-fashioned article of luggage hardware comprising a pair of posts, an escutcheon plate having two through openings therein, said pair of posts extending through'said openings and projecting to both sides of the escutcheon plate, each of said posts having a shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the upper surface of the escutcheon plate and holding the post against downward movement relative to the plate, means in one piece with each said post and cooperating with the walls of the associated opening and holding the' post against upward movement relative to the plate, the upwardly projecting portions of the posts including means to engage a bar, and the downwardly projecting portions of the posts including means independent of the rst-named means to engage an article of luggage.

4. A pre-fashioned article of luggage hardware comprising a pair of posts, an escutcheon plate having two through openings therein, said pair of posts extending through said openings and projecting to bothsides of the escutcheon plate,

each said post having a shoulder in one piece therewith abutting against the outer surface of the escutcheon plate, each said post having a second shoulder in one piece therewith abutting `against the under surface of the escutcheon plate,

the upwardly projecting portions of the posts including means to engage a bar, and the downwardly projecting portion oi each post being hollow, and an attachment plate having a pair of openings therein to pass the hollow downwardly projecting portions whereby said hollow portions may be inserted through the openings in the attachment plate and the tips of said portions thereafter spread to permanently and rigidly secure the article of luggage hardware to a piece of luggage.

DAVID LEVINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT 

